The research concerns the dynamic interplay between social beliefs and the interpersonal environments that sustain those beliefs. Once concern is with a phenomenon that has long puzzled clinician: the tendency for people to behave in ways that perpetuate their own aversive psychological states. Attention if focused on the possibility that people with negative self-views seek relationship partners who reinforce their low self-esteem or depression, thereby creating interpersonal cycles that make their self-concepts very resistant to change. Complementary lab and field studies attempt to specify the generality and psychological antecedents of such potentially self-destructive tendencies. The tendency for individuals with negative self-views to seek people who dislike them is puzzling because, at some level, such individuals want approval and suffer when they are rejected. This suggests that they may be caught in a crossfire between a desire for negative and positive feedback. Attempts are made to identify the processes that underlie such crossfires. In addition, mechanisms for escaping them such crossfires are explored. One such mechanism -- self-concept change -- is examined. For example, the processes through which people themselves and outside agents initiate self-concept change are considered. The final series of studies examine self-concept change in the context of the larger process of identity negotiation. Efforts are made to lay bare the mechanisms whereby people's relationship partners help stabilize or change their self-views,. Furthermore, longitudinal investigations examine the impact of the fit between the appraisals of perceivers and the self-conceptions of targets on: (a) change in the appraisals of perceivers and self-views of targets; (b) the health and happiness of targets and (c) the quality and duration of the relationships. The complexity and breadth of the issues under scrutiny require deepening and broadening of the PI's knowledge base. The renewal will facilitate this goal by enriching the intellectual environment at the applicant's home institution, releasing time to take relevant coursework, and making it possible to take one or more extended visits to other institutions. Such experiences will enhance the applicant's ability to pursue his goal of developing a comprehensive theory of social perception that embraces the reciprocal influence of social thought and social action.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research (K02)
Project #
2K02MH000498-06
Application #
3069847
Study Section
Research Scientist Development Review Committee (MHK)
Project Start
1984-09-01
Project End
1994-08-31
Budget Start
1989-09-01
Budget End
1990-08-31
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
1989
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Texas Austin
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Austin
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
78713
Tafarodi, R W; Swann Jr, W B (1995) Self-linking and self-competence as dimensions of global self-esteem: initial validation of a measure. J Pers Assess 65:322-42
Swann Jr, W B; De la Ronde, C; Hixon, J G (1994) Authenticity and positivity strivings in marriage and courtship. J Pers Soc Psychol 66:857-69
McNulty, S E; Swann Jr, W B (1994) Identity negotiation in roommate relationships: the self as architect and consequence of social reality. J Pers Soc Psychol 67:1012-23
Hixon, J G; Swann Jr, W B (1993) When does introspection bear fruit? Self-reflection, self-insight, and interpersonal choices. J Pers Soc Psychol 64:35-43
Swann Jr, W B; Wenzlaff, R M; Tafarodi, R W (1992) Depression and the search for negative evaluations: more evidence of the role of self-verification strivings. J Abnorm Psychol 101:314-7
Swann Jr, W B; Stein-Seroussi, A; Giesler, R B (1992) Why people self-verify. J Pers Soc Psychol 62:392-401
Swann Jr, W B; Wenzlaff, R M; Krull, D S et al. (1992) Allure of negative feedback: self-verification strivings among depressed persons. J Abnorm Psychol 101:293-306
Swann Jr, W B; Stein-Seroussi, A; McNulty, S E (1992) Outcasts in a white-lie society: the enigmatic worlds of people with negative self-conceptions. J Pers Soc Psychol 62:618-24
Pelham, B W (1991) On confidence and consequence: the certainty and importance of self-knowledge. J Pers Soc Psychol 60:518-30
Swann Jr, W B; Hixon, J G; Stein-Seroussi, A et al. (1990) The fleeting gleam of praise: cognitive processes underlying behavioral reactions to self-relevant feedback. J Pers Soc Psychol 59:17-26

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